About this project

$13,743

pledged of $13,000 goal

172

backers

Introducing Secular Women Work

We are proud to introduce the Secular Women
Work conference, a conference by and for activists. Do you want to
build strong non-religious communities? Do you want to change our
laws and our culture to be more accepting and accommodating of
non-believers? Join us in Minneapolis in August 2015.

We
live in a society in which unpaid work disproportionately falls to
women. Unfortunately, this means that volunteer work, including
activist work, is too often undervalued. We're here to change that.

The
Secular Women Work conference is a celebration of the work of female
activists who create and run projects and communities in the secular
movement. And there is no better way to honor their work than by
using their expertise to help us all become better activists.

At
Secular Women Work, you will find workshops: both hands-on exercises
to develop your skills and facilitated group discussions where you
can share challenges and solutions with other activists. You will
find panels on specialist topics, with panelists who can help you
broaden the horizons of your activism. And when you’re ready for a
rest, you’ll find speakers who will entertain and inspire you with
stories and lessons from their own work. In between it all, you’ll
find a conference full of other activists who want to make a
difference in the world.

All
workshop leaders, all panelists, and all speakers will be experienced female or
genderqueer activists with demonstrated accomplishments and skills to
share. We are excited to announce that Lauren Lane, co-founder of Skepticon;
Mandisa Thomas, president and founder of Black Nonbelievers, Inc.,
and Desiree Schell, labor activist and host of Science
for the People will
be appearing at Secular Women Work. We are working now to add more
speakers, so keep your eye on this space for announcements.

The
conference will be held in the historic Humphrey Conference Center on
the University of Minnesota’s West Bank. The center is ADA
compliant and situated on light rail.

So,
come join us this August 21st
through the 23rd
for the Secular Women Work conference, and help support the women who
work to make these communities happen! Make your pledge now to secure
your ticket to the conference, or pledge to build a better movement by helping us make more, and more effective,
activists.

See you there!

The Secular Women Work conference is a joint project of Minnesota Atheists; Campus Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists; and Secular Woman.

About Our Fundraising Goals

Base Goal: $13,000

Reaching this goal would cover costs for our venue for a conference running Friday evening through Sunday afternoon, including equipment rental and basic refreshments like water and coffee. It would allow us to bring in six to seven speakers from outside the Twin Cities to share their expertise and draw on local activists for the rest, with major sessions recorded to be shared on YouTube after the conference. It would also cover the costs of raising conference funding through Kickstarter.

First Stretch Goal: $16,000

In addition to the above, this amount would allow us to bring in another three expert speakers from outside the Twin Cities.

Second Stretch Goal: $21,000

Reaching this goal would allow us to add a box lunch on Saturday or, if we secure the outside funding we're pursuing to cover lunch, a continental breakfast both Saturday and Sunday of the conference.

Risks and challenges

Our venue could become unavailable.

We chose the West Bank of the U of M in part because it gives us flexibility. There are two other suitable venues on the same side of campus and others nearby off campus. We’ve budgeted some room for such contingencies, so that if our first-choice plans do bear fruit we will be in a position to provide additional amenities and travel grants.

Our speakers could become unavailable.

We don’t anticipate losing any of our confirmed speakers—we love these activists and would hate to see anyone go—but of course unexpected conflicts can arise. We have already had to make hard choices in deciding who to invite first. That said, one of the very best things about the atheist and secular movements is the large number of experienced, effective female and genderqueer activists. The same is true of the Minneapolis activist scene. We are confident we will present you with a great slate of speakers and workshop leaders no matter what.

Costs could require us to cut programming or amenities.

We are building this conference from the ground up, and our top priority is providing activists with great opportunities to learn. As we raise more money, we can add more programming and amenities. This approach helps keep us from overreaching in our excitement. On top of that, we’re seasoned conference organizers, with four conferences under our belts and experience organizing other kinds of events. We know where surprises could come from, and we’ve done everything possible to keep from being surprised.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

Attend the Conference
Come participate in workshops and learn from successful activists! Includes opportunity to suggest and vote on workshop topics. Includes Saturday and Sunday lunch and breakfasts and Saturday evening reception (to the extent those stretch goals met), same for reception. Conference tickets are transferrable.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $300 or more
About $300

Dinner with Organizers
Includes conference attendance, t-shirt and sticker, and dinner Thursday or Sunday evening with conference organizers. Group meal. Locations to be set based on interest. Cost of meal included.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

Dinner with a Speaker
Includes conference attendance, t-shirt and sticker, and dinner at a Seven Corners restaurant Friday or Saturday evening (subject to availability) with at least one speaker of your choice. Speakers have right of refusal, which would result in refund over Package Deal price. Cost of meal included.